Newsletter

International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an international, intergovernmental organization established in 1951 with the aim to assist displaced persons, refugees and migrants in Europe. At present, with 157 member states, IOM as a leading international organization in the field of migration acts with governments and migrants in order to manage humane and orderly migration. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM closely cooperates with intergovernmental and non-governmental partners, state institutions, civil society and migrants in every region of the world, promotes dialogue and cooperation on migration issues, develops research of the migration phenomenon as well as supports governments in understanding the complexity of modern migration.

IOM has been present in Slovakia since 1996 when an Agreement between IOM and the Government of the Slovak Republic was signed, based on which the IOM office in Bratislava was established. In 2000 an IOM sub-office was opened in Kosice. The main areas of IOM activity in Slovakia include assisted voluntary returns of migrants and their reintegration in countries of origin, prevention of trafficking in human beings and assistance to trafficked persons, and integration of migrants. IOM implements various types of activities within these areas, including provision of services to migrants, research, information campaigns, education and capacity building of key actors as well as increasing public awareness about migration issues. Since 2006 IOM has operated the Migration Information Centre of IOM (MIC) where legal, labour and social counselling is provided to migrants in order to facilitate their integration into the labour market and into the society as such. Since 2009 IOM has also served as the National Contact Point of the European Migration Network in Slovakia.

During the 19 years of its presence in the Slovak republic IOM has assisted 1,500 migrants to return to their home countries. More than 9,700 clients and their families have been provided with complex integration counselling regarding the main areas of their stay and integration in Slovakia by the means of MIC, and nearly 140 victims of trafficking in human beings have been helped to return and reintegrate back to their lives.

IOM activities are funded exclusively by projects.

Contact:Tel.: 02 – 5273 3791E-mail: iombratislavamedia@iom.int

Websites of the International Organization for Migration about its projects and activities: